The Chief of Water, Sanitation, Hygienge, Zaid Jurji, has stated that Nigeria loses 1.3 billion dollars or 45.5 billion naira and this loses are due to premature deaths, healthcare costs, reduced time and productivity.
Jurji stated this on Monday in Port Harcourt where he stressed that Nigeria incurs this loss due to a very poor sanitation sector and he stressed that this is so because of lack of the necessary technology options to meet various geographical conditions, weak institutional arrangements and limited technical know-how, low private sector participation, Low political and financial commitments and others.
He said that only NGN 95.9 billion per year is needed to eliminate open defecation and the economic gains could be about NGN 359.1 billion or US$ 1.026 billion each year.
Jiurji further enjoined all hands to be on deck in the eradication of open defecation in the country stating that sanitation needs to be priotised both by the federal and state government needs to declare a state of emergency on the sector.
He reiterated for the need for government to be fully involve in order to eradicate open defecation as N234 billion is needed for the realization of an open free defecation in 2025.
He also stated that the private sector needs to be fully involved in the marketing and the financial sector so as to improve the efficiency of the sanitation sector.
He further called on the need for everyone to be involved including households, communities, schools, all tiers of government, religious and traditional leaders, media, civil society and international/NGOs.
The Eagle Online reports that the programme is a two-day media dialogue on European Union and Niger Delta Water Project organized by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in conjunction with UNICEF.
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